Athletic star Williams says Valverde would succeed at Barcelona

Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams says Ernesto Valverde would be a shrewd choice as the new Barcelona coach, but hopes he will stay at San Mames.

The 53-year-old is one of the favourites to replace Luis Enrique when he leaves Camp Nou at the end of the season, with Barca even mentioning him as a possible successor on their official website, along with current assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue.

Valverde has achieved European qualification three times in a row during his second spell at Athletic, while he led them to their first major trophy in 31 years when they beat Barca 5-1 on aggregate in the 2015 Supercopa de Espana.

Williams believes there are few candidates better suited to LaLiga’s champions but remains hopeful that he will reject any approach.